Kicking career goals in Canada

Monday, 03 December 2018

Wintec graduate Josh Trewin is a sport science and performance specialist for a Major League Soccer (MLS) team, the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Wintec graduate Josh Trewin says he feels lucky to be working as Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club’s Sport Science and Performance Specialist.

We don’t think luck has got anything to do with it.

The 27-year-old Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science (Honours) graduate has put in the hard yards to get where is he today.

After graduating from Wintec in 2014, Josh began his PhD in Strength and Conditioning, and Performance Analysis through Auckland University of Technology (AUT), where he gained a scholarship through the Canada Soccer Association and Canadian Sport Institute Pacific.

As part of the scholarship he relocated to Canada and assisted the Canadian National Women’s Soccer team, collecting data and looking at how their movement changed in relation to different factors such as heat, altitude and winning or losing games.

He also worked with the team in their World Cup campaign and during the build up to the Rio Olympics where they won bronze. During this time Josh made some invaluable connections with Whitecaps support staff. He obviously made a good impression as the Whitecaps contacted him to offer him a job.

“As the Whitecap’s sport science and performance specialist I am responsible for a lot of data collection and analysis when it comes to monitoring players. Throughout the season I capture GPS, heart rate and Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scores along with wellness questionnaires.

“I love working in a sport that I played from a young age,” says Josh.

The Whitecaps play in the Major League Soccer (MLS) – a professional soccer league which sees the team play a game a week, but sometimes as many as three, throughout Canada and the United States. During the season (which has recently ended) the Whitecaps travel the greatest distance of any professional soccer team which Josh says is a massive challenge in itself.

Football has always been a big part of Josh’s life. After moving from Rotorua to Hamilton to study at Wintec, he played up to National Youth League level with Waikato Football Club and for Hamilton Wanderers in the Northern League. That was until study started consuming his life.

Josh says that the best part of studying a Wintec was the small class sizes and the practical nature of the degree.

“Getting a lot of hands on experience was one of the most valuable things, especially having to apply them in the real world which has been useful,” he adds.

What’s next for Josh?

He’s currently waiting for another role with the Whitecaps to be confirmed but he is hoping to stay in Canada for a bit longer.

As for the future: “I’d like to build a good reputation and work towards being a lead sport scientist or Head of Physical Performance at a club or team. For now, I’m just keeping my head down, learning and finding my way in sport. It’s tough and often the hours are very unsociable but it’s a lot of fun. I’m very lucky to be where I am,” Josh concludes.

Find out more about studying Sport Science and Human Performance at Wintec.